If You Invested $1000 In Nvidia When It Released The World’s First Official GPU 25 Years Ago, Here’s How Much You’d Have

Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) is one of the hottest stocks of 2024, surging by nearly 50% in the first six weeks of 2024 already. Fueled by the growing buzz around artificial intelligence (AI), Nvidia is closing in on Amazon.com Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google in terms of market capitalization.

Nvidia’s graphics processing units (GPU) have been found to be used across different segments. A business that initially catered to gamers with its GPUs subsequently became a favorite amongst cryptocurrency miners for several years before the rise of AI and the development of large-language models.

Nvidia’s GPUs are also used in data centers, automotive, and other industries, making them the cornerstone of modern technology development.

Here’s Where It Began

One of Nvidia’s groundbreaking contributions to the semiconductor industry was the introduction of the GeForce 256, the world’s first official GPU. Launched in October 1999, the GeForce 256 represented a significant leap forward in graphics processing capabilities.

With its transformative hardware-based transformation and lighting engine, the GeForce 256 delivered unprecedented levels of realism and performance in 3D graphics rendering.

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Popular games of the time that supported the GeForce 256 included classics such as Quake III Arena, Half-Life, Unreal Tournament, and Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation.

Jensen Huang, the company’s CEO, founded it in 1993 and took it public six years later. While he’s leading Nvidia’s AI ambitions, he is also the 21st richest person in the world. His wealth also mirrors the surge in Nvidia’s stock – both have surged by nearly 50% in 2024 so far.

According to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Huang’s share in Nvidia has skyrocketed his wealth to $63.8 billion.

The surge in AI adoption and development led Huang to share his excitement. “Everybody in the world is now a programmer — that is the miracle.”

Now, let’s look at how Nvidia stock has fared since its first GPU launch 25 years ago.

Nvidia stock price from Oct. 11, 1999, to today

Nvidia shares were trading at $0.476563 on Oct. 11, 1999, adjusted for stock splits and other corporate actions.

Its stock price…